Minus
by White-Tainted-Red
Summary: The pain of losing someone is generally the same for everyone. It varies, however, on what your relationship with said person was: Lovers, friends, siblings, parents, teachers. How do you deal with the depression that comes afterwards? You don't.


**Author's Note: Listening to 'Off I Go' By Greg Laswell would be a good idea for this. Enjoy.**

**xoxoxoxoxoxox**

_Minus_

The pain of losing someone is generally the same for everyone. It varies, however, on what your relationship with said person was; Lovers, friends, siblings, parents, teachers. How do you deal with the depression that comes afterwards? You don't. You smile, because you'll think only about the good moments you experienced together. You may regret saying something or doing something that affected them in a negative way, but in the end those moments are forgotten. All that is left is how much you care for each other. What you'd do for the other. That's my theory on it, of course. You may be thinking I'm some wise elder who gives out advice, but that's not the case. I'm your typical 15 year old, just not so typical at the same time. I've lost so many people in my life, that I simply stopped trying. People used to call me, "Naruto Uzumaki, the number one, hyperactive, knucklehead ninja." That's all changed now. Just three years ago, my best friend, Sasuke Uchiha, severed all bonds connecting him to the Leaf village. Losing him was probably the worst pain in my life. I couldn't smile, I couldn't laugh, I couldn't sleep, and I couldn't eat. The only thing I could do was relieve my frustrations by training endlessly. By the end of the day I was so emotionally and physically tired I would immediately fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. I was probably more lifeless than a dead person. One day, however, I was relieved of my pain.

"Naruto? You're looking especially tired today." Kakashi-sensei commented as he looked down at me from the top of his pornographic novel. I kept my eyes glued on the slippery, muddy surface of the road we were travelling on. Team Kakashi had been given a mission involving a meeting spot in the Land of Waves. I hadn't bothered to listen to Baa-chan's description of the C-rank mission. I vaguely noticed Sakura-chan, who was walking silently beside me, turn towards me at Kakashi's comment.

"Kakashi-sensei's right, Naruto. You look like you could pass out at any second..." She said, frowning at me from the corner of my eye.

"I'm not tired." I replied in a monotone. I could care less what they thought of my well-being.

"Naruto. We're going to stop in the next village and we're going to rest." Kakashi stated. His gaze was back on his little orange book of pleasures.

"I don't need any rest. I just want to complete this mission." I said. Sakura rolled her eyes at my refusal.

"Naruto, quit it. We know you're tired." She sighed, edging closer to me.

"I'm not tired, Sakura-chan. Leave it alone." I may have become an emotional wreck, but I had not lost what little manners I had.

"I didn't say that for your purpose. Sakura's tired too." Kakashi said, once again peering down at me. It was almost like he was judging my reaction to his statement. I returned to my previous silence, signalling the end of the conversation. The only noise was the mud squishing underneath our feet and the light pitter-patter of the rain. Grey clouds were accumulating above us, most likely preparing for a thunderstorm. I had once been scared of thunderstorms, but when Sasuke found out about my fear, he teased me until I proved to him I could wait one out without a flinch. Secretly, I think he did it because he didn't like seeing me scared.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called. I turned to him, not batting an eyelash when a drop of water trailed down my nose.

"You're going a little fast for Sakura. Slow down." He muttered under his breath. I waited patiently beside him for Sakura to catch up to us, red faced and gasping.

"Naruto, you baka. We're not in a race!" She yelled once she had caught her breath. I lazily started walking again, ignoring her shouts of 'Wait!' and 'Slow down!'

"Naruto. I don't know what your rush is. Slow down." Kakashi demanded. There was now a tint of authority in his voice. Sighing loudly, I bowed my head as I waited for the pinkette to catch up. The first crash of thunder made me sink into myself even more.

"It's Sasuke, isn't it?" Kakashi asked. Sakura was steadily approaching, her hair soaked and spraying water in each direction as she moved. A determined look was on her flushed face. She didn't want to get left behind again.

"What if it is?" I replied, surprised at the small amount of emotion in my voice. I'd been emotionally inept for three years, why was it coming back today? Kakashi seemed surprised as well.

"You're killing yourself, Naruto. Plain muscle and bones. You're about to pass out from sleep deprivation. You haven't smiled since he left. I feel weird saying this, but I miss you. We all miss you." He said earnestly. His eyes sparkled in worry, perhaps. Sensei isn't a person you read easily. He only lets you see what he wants you to see. Kind of like me, I guess. Remaining silent was probably the best option for me at the moment, so I went with it.

"I know how hard this is. It's been hard for all of us. I'm still dealing with it. Sakura is still dealing with it. But you've got to let this go. He doesn't need us anymore." He continued. I turned back to Sakura, and it looked like tears were running down her face. I could almost hear her shouting, "Don't leave me, Naruto. Sasuke left me, so you can't leave me. Not you."

"I'm not leaving you." I whispered. It was more directed at Sasuke than it was at Sakura or Kakashi. Seeing Sakura in her pitiful state, hearing Kakashi's sympathetic words, tears prickled my eyes. No. I wouldn't cry, because crying meant weakness. Sasuke doesn't like weakness. But the tears spilled anyways. I couldn't hold them back, because I hadn't cried in so long, and I just needed to cry. I'd kept it inside of me for so long and now there were too many reasons to cry. I found myself slumping against Kakashi and letting out a loud wail. And he held me. He wrapped his arms around me, and he didn't let me go. Then Sakura came, and she wrapped her arms around the both of us, and we all cried together. We let out all of our worries, we seeked comfort from each other. And they held me together. They fixed me.

"I love you, Sakura-chan. You're not a crush anymore, but a friend. I love you, Kakashi-sensei. Always dealing with my idiocies, and always there to support me. I love you, Sasuke. For being my best friend, and _leaving _me. For _teaching _me the hardships of life, for being the biggest _bastard_ I'll ever know. You've all changed my life in so many ways. Thank you. Thank you." I mumbled, letting the rain soak me, cry with me.

_And there we stood, Team 7. Minus a crush. Minus a student. Minus a best friend._

**xoxoxoxoxoxox**


End file.
